Two weeks to the day since his official announcement as Birmingham Legion’s new head coach, Mark Briggs is finally set to lead the team in front of his new home crowd.

The Englishman took charge of his first game on the road May 3. A bye week the ensuing weekend meant he’s had to wait a couple extra days for his home bow. But without a preseason for the first time in his decade of coaching, the 10-day break turned out to be exactly what the new man needed.

“I’m fortunate that we have that little break,” Briggs said. “I was able to get a few ideas across in Tampa. And I thought the guys, especially in the second half, executed some of them pretty well.

“So now it’s just building on those initial few days and being able to have the group together, have the group in my environment and get those ideas across to them,” he continued. “So we’ve been fortunate to have those few days where we don’t have a game and can really get to work.”

Briggs said he’d been pleased to find a group very receptive to his ideas.

The new head coach joined after a rough start to the season. Since then, he’s made it a focus to create a positive environment for the players. With music at practice and table tennis at the training facility, he said he already felt “a better energy.”

Whether that can translate into better results on the pitch is the next question.

Danny Trejo believes the Three Sparks are on the right track. The team showed glimpses of implementing Briggs’ ideas against Tampa, now it’s about doing it more often.

“It’s been great,” Trejo said. “The team has very good energy, and the coaching staff has made it clear for us. When we show up to the games, we have a clear understanding of what our job is.”

For Briggs, getting those messages across has been a balancing act. Birmingham is the fourth stop on his coaching career, but the first one where he has joined midseason. As such, he wants to make sure the transition is smooth.

That means a slower transfer of information than usual so he doesn’t overwhelm the players.

“It’s difficult, coming in midseason,” Briggs said. “[You’re] making sure when you do come in that you create relationships as quickly as you can, you put your ideas across in the right manner, and you make sure that you’re not giving them too much, too soon.

“I think it’s important that you drip-feed those ideas while also getting the culture right and the environment right,” he added.

While he recognized that meant his team might take a while to fully reflect his ideals, there are some elements he will not compromise on.

“We’re going to have bad performances, we’re going to have bad games,” he said. “But that should never affect how we run. How we fight. How we compete. Those three things are non-negotiable.”

Despite coaching fellow USL Championship side Sacramento Republic for the last five years, Briggs has very limited experience playing at Protective Stadium. The California team is in the Western Conference, and thus played Legion just three times in those five years.

Only one took place at Protective Stadium, a 1-1 draw in 2023.

Now that he calls Birmingham home, Briggs will hope to quickly get his first win at Legion’s stadium. With back-to-back home games in the space of five days, creating a home advantage is a must.

“This is our home field, we want to make it a fortress,” he said. “We want to make it a difficult place for teams to come. We want to take pride in getting results here.”

With the quick turnaround, Briggs said it’s important his entire roster feels involved and ready to play. The team has a near-perfect bill of health — AJ Paterson remains the only long-term absentee — and Briggs believes squad depth could be key to a positive week.

While that means sharing the burden, one form player he will look to is Trejo.

A debut concussion disrupted the start to the Mexican’s Legion career, but he said he is finally feeling back to his best. With two goals in his last two games, he is raring to go again.

And he said Briggs is the type of coach who can get the best out of him.

“I think [my play] fits his style very good, because he wants us to be direct,” Trejo said. “He gives us the freedom to be dynamic and at the same time he pushes us in a way that makes us believe in ourselves in every situation. So I think it’s important for a forward to have that support.”

Legion host Rhode Island at 7 p.m. tonight at Protective Stadium. The Three Sparks then host a second home game at 4 p.m. Sunday, welcoming Detroit City FC to the Magic City.

Follow @TimothyBelin_ on X.com and Instagram for more Legion FC content.